WHAT HAS SIRF DONE SO FAR?

*The founders of our society have done their best to help solve the problems of students and visitors of our country.

*By introducing the students to some bureaucrats, scholars and tradesman, at a meal held on Nov.4th 1994 at Başkent Öğretmenevi, we gave start to work and let them hear the problems of the students directly from themselves.

*Every other week on Saturdays we organize seminars, conferences, panel discussions on various subjects. These meetings bring the students and authors together. They are highly educative and informative.

*Every year we organize trips to Konya for Mevlana ceremonies in order to give them a chance to observe our culture closely. Some other places we visited are İstanbul, Bursa,Afyon, Isparta, Çorum, Antalya, Aksaray, Kapadokya, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa Bolu and so on. We continue introducing different parts, historical, cultural, natural and beautiful sights of our country.

*Iftar (dinner) receptions are given to our member students in the holy month Ramadan by cooperating with other foundations. Prime Minister, Ministers and many high ranked bureaucrats joined these Iftars.

*Bayram (Aid) celebrations are made in the headquarters of the society. Students who are away from their families feel the warmth of belonging a new family, SIRF.

*We have picnics in Spring time to get rid of the pressure of lessons and exams throughout year.In one of them we planted trees and formed an ‘’Intercultural Friendship Forest’’ 50km from Ankara.

*Representatives attended some international conferences, such as problems of European Youth held in Istanbul 1995,Habitat-II UN Istanbul 1996, 1st International Youth Conference Konya May 1997, IIFSO Istanbul 1996,ISNA Columbus USA 1996 and 1997

*Tv and Radio programs are done to prom the society. We appeared in the printed pres with our activates.

*Graduation ceremonies and farewell parties are organized for the final year students every year. Prime Ministers and Ministers of Education and state attend them.

*SIRF entertained several prominent figures like ALİ Muni, ex-president of Sudan, a delegation from England representing IFE, IIFSO general secretary, general secretary of ECYO’s. Councilor of Bosnia, General secretary of FBIR from Pakistan, Director of Islamic bank from Bangladesh ,President of International Peace from Romania, general secretary of MYM from South Africa, president of ICCM from USA and so forth.

*SIRF participates regular meetings once every month with more than 50 foundations aunity among NGO’s in Ankara. 

*Scholarships started to be given to all foreign students in October 1997 by the Ministry of State as a result of repeated contacts made by SIRF authorities.

WHAT ARE SIRF FUTURE PLANS?

*Our society aims to establish an Intercultural Research Center where foreign and native students and researchers in Turkey can study and do their research .This center will include a conference hall, a data bank of different cultures, an Internet Service, a guest house and a periodical publication library. We hope to receive the support of our president, state authorities municipalities and embassies fort his center.

*SIRF plans to organize an ‘’International Cultural Festival’’ every year in May, and therefore, has decided to get in contact with the ambassadors in Ankara.

*Our society is dealing with students from 75 different countries and ethnic groups in Turkey. However our aim is to reach all the foreign students living in Turkey.

*Also, a periodical magazine is published both in English and Turkish quarterly in which the cultures of different countries are introduced.

*Our society has made contacts with more than 100 Universities of USA and UK and received books and brochures introducing their facilities. We will get in contact with other western countries and form a data bank for the students who want to be educated abroad.

*We aim to organize an international symposium or conference both in Turkey and abroad at least once a year.